Our Summer 2016 Edition

Grist for the Mill

One of the nicest perks of being a member of the community of 90+ Edible publishers is that we all mail copies of our magazines to each other. It’s a great way to learn about the local food scene around North America (there are three Edibles in Canada!) and to get ideas for future stories. I’ve always been intrigued by the special focus issues some of them put out—Beverages, Cooks, Women Chefs—but have never been disciplined enough to come up with sufficient content for a single topic. As a result, no discernable theme ever emerges in these pages. But I like our hodge-podge approach to editorial.

In this issue, for instance, we take you from a farm-to-table wedding in Truro to summer camp in Yarmouth Port. We visit a sweet mom-and-pop farm stand in Mashpee and forage in Veronica Worthington’s greenhouse for a native American edible that she promises you’ll be craving once you find it in your own backyard. We pull up a barstool at restaurants up and down the Cape and sample original gin cocktails made with the latest small-batch spirit from Truro Vineyards, and we participate in a blind taste test of locally-made vanilla ice cream. There are also some great recipes for frozen treats accompanied by mouthwatering photos from Edible Rhody contributor Christine Chitnis. It’s been a fun issue to pull together, to say the least.

On a more serious note, regular contributor Michelle Koch shares some sobering statistics about childhood hunger on the Cape. At the time of year when many visitors are enjoying our glorious seafood, thousands of local children are going hungry without the benefit of the hot lunch program they enjoy during the school year. Her article on the Food For Kids program will make you want to roll up your sleeves and pitch in (or at least write a check). New contributor Marie McHugh writes about how Debbie DeMaria capitalized an old family recipe to build a business that funds a non-profit created to honor her son’s memory. And we welcome back Gabrielle Stommel, a fisherman’s daughter from Woods Hole, who shares a story of her personal struggles as a fish broker in New York City. There’s something for everyone in this issue.

If you are like us (and we suspect most people), you have a favorite haunt when you’re craving clam chowder, a burger, or a Bloody Mary. Several years ago Misaki in Hyannis became our go-to place for sushi. The deal was sealed when we ran into our fishmonger picking up take-out one evening. We reasoned that if the fish is fresh enough for Ralph, it’s fresh enough for us. We love sitting at the sushi bar and watching the Misaki chefs do their magic. It takes years for a sushi chef to work the counter, after one has first mastered the art of cooking rice and learning to slice and form different fish species for nigiri. Although we’ve been dining there for years, we learned a lot about Misaki from Elise Hugus’ Through the Pass feature. That, in a nutshell, is what we at Edible Cape Cod try to do with each issue: educate as well as entertain our readers.